ET Flashback: Defending 'The Dark Crystal'

[@smecking]

Jim Henson had such a powerful imagination and the courage to pursue his vision. That is the definition, to me, of an artist. Love and miss this guy.

[@sandorsbox]

No need to defend this film. It was my favorite when I was a kid. So happy my niece is falling in love with it too!

[@David_Axelord]

"If you want to make money, you don't do a film." What a novel idea. I think today's producers need to hear this.

[@amaxamon]

Ah, nothing screams Dark Crystal like mid-80's techno dance music, so loud you can hardly hear the interview subjects speaking. Thanks ET!

[@katienovota8870]

Dark Crystal is a masterpiece.

[@smitastic7030]

This movie is timeless. I first saw this movie when I was a kid and still love it today. You can show this movie to a kid in 50 years and it will still have the same impact. I'm so glad we had these two brilliant men bring this film to life. Art before profits, unfortunately there aren't many filmmakers willing to do that anymore.

[@nuke97]

The budget was $25,000,000.00 in 1983 which is $61,000,000,00 today. Wow. Plus the movie made $40,577,001 in FEB of 1983 which today would equal $100,374,861.74.

[@LunchableSandwich]

My favorite movie when I was a young kid and it still is.

[@palmesd]

I don't understand why noisy background 'music' has to be crashing around when people are talking. So stupid.

[@patchesdf]

Wow, this is super awesome. The Dark Crystal is one of my favourite movies of all time.

[@je4754]

The majority of movies today seems to be all about shortcuts. You can see the hard work and creativity these guys put into this movie, especially if you've been a fan as long as I have. Henson and his company set the mark for all that would follow in later years.

[@jdoe27]

in my mind, this movie is totally worth 20 millon

[@leadspot]

there is two important points to me named here, one; the cost of the movie that it is very understandable that the artists gets annoyed by reporters to know the millions worth of work, their mind are more busy about the final product and get satisfied for what they see there, two; no sequels, some movies are ment to be just the one, if the story is complete there is no need for a sequel and there is a lot of there that you see that the one movie works just fine and it is the uniqueness that puted it on the spot in the first place

[@benjamintorrie]

An absolute masterpiece.

[@mattk.3645]

This film impressively demonstrated the capabilities of Jim Henson's medium, which was and is puppetry married with live-action film/television. I'd like to see similar efforts in this vein. The Skeksis were particularly well-realized.

[@igonzalez0]

i loved this movie as a kid.. now my kids like it too!!

[@bigorange2082]

Still one of my favorite movies of all time!!!!!!

[@Rick-Raven]

I have to agree with Jim, the film doesn't lend itself to a sequel

[@indyclonejr]

I agree but he actually did have plans for a sequel Power of the Dark Crystal, which the notes were found after his death & they were gonna make it. But since 2006 it's been in production hell, there are rumors it still might be made but they did release the whole story as a comic book. But I think if they do make it they're just gonna see how the new Netflix series turns out first.

[@alexr4208]

I got to see it when I was a kid. Very different. No human actors, but you don't even think about it.

[@toby8414]

I love that film... I don't even like magic & fantastical stuff like that, but somehow, that film is so intensely arty, it moves me, supernatural stuff aside.

[@edithkeresztes7081]

When ever i hear jim speak all i can hear is Kermit the frog...

[@Lumibear.]

Excited Frank Oz = Fozzy

[@kyotoandsunchips8585]

I wish there was an movie in today good/bad movies was like the classic 80s movies that basically used puppets. We need a prequel to the Dark Crystal I want to travel back into this world. I saw this movie when I was 11 and wasn't scared. Dark Crystal is an amazing movie with an great director

[@pinheadnate8799]

“You Can Tell Another Story In The Same World, But The Story Itself Is Complete.” AOR is a prequel so they actually fulfilled Jim’s statement in the end.

[@Qwijebo]

CGI pales in comparison to true movie magic that is puppetry. Nothing can come close, this is why TDC (and Labyrinth) are perhaps a step above anything created with CGI.

[@Sawrattan]

They've aged so much better than CGI (well maybe apart from the Labyrinth intro but that's become iconic in itself)

[@robertajimenez4928]

nice seeing this interview at the museum exhibition in LA! I think that's Steve and me in the opening shot

[@SkepticalChris]

Dark Crystal when it was released was described as weird, and scary. Dark Crystal today, is described by people as a true masterpiece of puppetry and visual storytelling, and is often spoken in the same admiration as legendary fantasy works like Lord of the Rings.

[@c0l1n_m45]

Dark Crystal is the most underrated film of all time. Change my mind

[@tinytanks]

willow was similarly underrated... perhaps moreso! not to take away from what an absolutely irreplaceable masterpiece the dark crystal was, though.

[@insanecrazyshockingbrucele6643]

Amazing magical masterpiece I have just watched it again aged 49

[@Moongazer101]

The Dark Crystal movie is a legendary masterpiece! 🙌

[@enigma9306]

This movie was the single weirdest thing I've ever seen in my life.

[@westcoastgoose]

If they ever make a movie about these guys' lives, I vote for David Cross to play Frank!

[@neildennis575]

westcoastgoose and I see Will Farrell as Jim.

[@yosefdemby8792]

@@neildennis575 Don't make me laugh.

[@jukingeo]

@KamulMosir Yes, I would think something like that would be nice. As was pointed out above, no sequel, no remake. The story was set and told, done deal. As it is, with today's technology, if they did something in the world of the Dark Crystal, it most likely would be CGI. If they (Henson's company) would go the route of puppets again, it would be extremely expensive to produce. They would certainly need a nice solid storyline to ensure success. It could be just too much of a gamble, though. As it was The Dark Crystal didn't do very well in the box office and only later developed a following. The Hensons might also think along the same lines as Spielberg with E.T. The Dark Crystal story was told and that is it, it doesn't need a sequel. Ironically, speaking of E.T., The Dark Crystal was realeased at around the same time as E.T. and perhaps that was one of the primary reasons why The Dark Crystal failed at the box office.

[@eyes1184]

There's also the fact that, even if it were possible to produce a sequel or prequel, the heart and soul wouldn't be there. Jim Henson's been dead for decades, most of the original Muppeteers are retired/close to retiring, Frank Oz I know is retired now. Without that link, there's no point. Sure, you could have a new team with equal levels of passion but, as we've seen with "The Muppets", passion doesn't always mean you understand the original charm. Plus, self-referential meta-humor and nostalgia can only get you so far.

[@KamuiMosir]

I wish they could tell another story from this world.

[@blondetapperware8289]

Wish granted.

[@elisahuberman3408]

when Frank Oz talks, he sounds like Bert from Sesame Street

[@leonclementsbeall2562]

anyone know how the death of the emporer scene? the main guess of I have is its a weak cast of the emperor, then using strings at key points like the end of the beak, they force it to collapse in on itself.

[@CrashBandicootFan971]

I wouldn't mind seeing a prequel but there are some graphic novels which tell that story...

[@enigma9306]

It is a bit like star wars. The scene where that thing's master thing dies and fades away at the beginning is indeed very much like Yoda's death scene

[@blaise6652]

ENiGMA ..that things master thing..lol!

[@cocotanya31]

This movie is a deep movie that tells about the end of time. There is alot of biblical reference. Tells about the begining and the end kind of remind me of the book of Enoch

[@Sawrattan]

Yes, although Henson was deeply influenced by Hindu/Dharmic cosmic ideas, personally I find biblical parallels like the UrSkeks being 'banished from the sky' to fall on Thra and rule all the creatures, setting up a state religion (the Crystal), banishing the pagan-like Mystics and Aughra, then Jen and Kira being the sole male/female to repopulate Thra.

[@ursulepustule3586]

Le film qui m'a le plus marqué enfant.

[@1845Raven]

They didn't make the movie for the money! Not like the bottom feeders of today. Producers today cut all kinds of corners to save a buck. Today they make lego movies that are cgi; that's insane! The whole point of a lego movie is to use real legos! Stop motion you bottom feeding producers.

[@fernandogalindo5414]

Dark crystal is all about #Adrenochrome